Quinn nodded to Veronica and then he gave Analiese a reassuring smile. "Come on. I got to see a bit of the station yesterday, but I hear there's an amusement park somewhere around here. Betting you've never been to one of those before." He walked with her from the room, not nervous seeming at all.
Ana tilted her head, confused. "What is an amusement park?" She didn't struggle over the words, for she had heard and seen them before...just the concept was odd to her. She was rather intrigued, since he seemed to be looking forward to their outing.
Quinn thought about it for a moment and as they left the bar and set out into the station he answered her question as best he could. "Well It's a place where people go to have fun. They have rides, games you can play to win prizes, food booths that are usually over priced and sometimes they have a part where you can go swimming." That was the best he could do for the moment. "You'll see when we get there, for now I encourage you to look around. We've got plenty of time so if you see something you want to look at just let me know." He kept his strides short so Ana wouldn't feel rushed.
Ana walked along beside Quinn, looking around. She was still amazed by what all there was in a place like this. Being too used to alleyways and dirt and grime, this was amazing. But even with all that, she was focused on learning about the amusement park. "People have fun? How? What makes it fun? Wait...will I need shoes?" She stopped and looked down at her bare feet and back at him, chewing her lip. She'd have been fine just walking around without shoes, but after observing some people, it appeared that everyone was wearing something on their feet, even if it barely covered.
"All very good questions." He admitted. "We can fix the shoe problem." He added, gently encouraging her to keep walking. He showed her into one of the more decently priced shoe stores and took her back to where there were shoes about her size. "Find something you like that fits and is comfortable" He said simply, letting go of her hand and encouraging her to work her way through the walls of shoes while he fetched some general sized socks so her feet weren't rubbed sore when she finally did find shoes she liked.
Ana looked around at the shoes. All various styles. Her eyes are drawn to the ones that look more comfortable and she starts to reach for a pair of boots, but then pulls back, shaking her head. She had one pair of those already and didn't need any new ones. Besides, they wouldn't go with what she was wearing. Tapping her chin, she contemplated the other shoes and then stopped as she saw a pair of sandals. These would be perfect. Letting her have a sense of freedom and still protect her feet as she walked. She took them out of the box and put them on, trying them out.
Quinn watched, quiet and passive, and when she decided on a pair of sandals he gave a small smile. "Do you like them?" He asked finally after she seemed to have tested them out a bit.
She looked up at him when he spoke and smiled a little sheepishly. "I'm not used to...all of this."
"That's alright." He picked up the box the sandals had been in and didn't even bother to check the, thankfully low, price. He carefully wiggled the socks from their packaging and handed them to her. "Get yourself settled and we'll keep on." He went up to the front to pay.
She nodded and put the socks on her feet then the sandals once more before going back to where he was paying for the items. She said softly, "I will be owing you a lot."
Quinn studied her for a moment and then gave a slight shake of his head, leaving the box and empty socks wrapper with the clerk because they wouldn't exactly need either of those later. "Nah" He offered her his hand again. "You need things like this more than I need the money. I can always sing for my supper and with a potential job around the corner? Well I can easily make back whatever I spend on you." As long as their prospective captain didn't charge him for all the food he'd inevitably eat.
Ana sighed a little as they walked along and shook her head, saying in reply, "I have only ever worked...to earn my keep. Nothing more." She looked around, a small trace of fear in her eyes and voice. "I am still not sure what I am doing. I've never been...idle."
"It's alright to not be sure of yourself." He said gently. "I live in a constant state of not knowing where I'm going next or when I might actually get paid." He shrugged. "I let the wind take me where it will and enjoy the ride."
She gave a small, mirthless chuckle. "Paid. There's a concept I know from my mother, but never thought it would ever happen for me." She walked along for a moment, chewing on her lip in thought. "What about my...I mean...well...you know..." She trailed off, not sure how to express what her old "master" was to her.
"Your Old master?" He asked, confused. "What about him?" He wasn't sure what she was trying to ask exactly.
She nodded and shrugged, "Do you think he will try to find me?"
He blinked and thought about it. "Depends on if those three we managed to shake earlier are stupid enough to tell him they lost you or not. My bet is that by the time he comes looking, if he does, we'll be elsewhere and virtually untraceable." He shrugged. "I wouldn't worry about it Analiese. I'm not about to let anyone else hurt you."
Ana nodded and tried to shake it off. Looking around once more, she spied a shop that has what looked like toys. In the main display window, she could see a train going around what looked like dolls. She vaguely remembered playing with such things before, but nothing like this. What she had were made by hand...and destroyed as soon as the Master had found them. Like the dresses she had seen on his datapad, she didn't ask for any of them. She just gave the dolls a fleeting glance of longing.
Quinn noticed the look and he gently steered her towards it. "Go on. You can look." He went to the window of the shop with her to peek inside, not particularly interested in anything they had, but giving Ana time to actually look and enjoy herself as much as possible. Quinn's mind was already working, trying to figure out what she was staring at the most. When he had a bit more to spend he'd use that bit of information to give her a little surprise.
She stood at the window and looked all over at the different types of dolls on display. Some were more like toy soldiers. Others were the kind that a little girl would want to have for either dress up or just to hold. One in particular caught her eye. It was a doll that looked almost like she did now, though the eyes matched. The dress was a deeper blue than the eyes and the hair was done in ringlets. Ana placed her hand on the glass and whispered very softly, "Someday." Soon after that, she turned to Quinn and said a bit louder, "Let's go. I'm getting hungry...well...I've been hungry."
Quinn made note of the doll and he gave her an easy grin when she turned back to him. He offered her his hand again. "Alright. There's only a few places we can safely eat at and one of them is up here. It's got take out so we'll get something to eat while we walk if that's alright with you?"
Ana nodded slowly, "Alright. I remember the others got some sort of flyer that said where the safe places were...but I didn't get a chance to see it for myself."
Quinn tapped the side of his head. "Ah, but I know." He said with a grin. He led her to the place, got them something easy to eat while they walked and then headed off again, keeping his pace slow so she had time to eat and enjoy it while they did.
Ana looked at what it was he had ordered and frowned, not quite sure what to make of it. "What is this again?"
"It's fried rice, egg, vegetables and finely chopped chicken and beef." He said holding up a plastic fork for her. "Typically eaten with two long sticks, but I think that's an eating lesson for a different time." He ate a few bites with his own fork. "It's Yamataian. Girls with kitty cat ears, lovely but deadly."
She took a bite of the food and looked up at him in small shock when she experienced the flavors. "It looks odd, but it tastes good!" She smiled a little, liking the fried rice with the bits of meat. She could walk and eat easily enough.
Quinn gave her a smile at her surprise and pleasure. "It's one of my favorites whenever I'm close enough to Yamataian space. Some people like to claim that it's as addictive as certain drugs." He shrugged "I can't say if that's so or not, but it is good." He was happy enough to just walk along in silence with her for the moment.
She nodded as she ate, saving the question about 'drugs'. She didn't know what that word meant, but she figured it was probably nothing really good, either way. She was just enjoying her time with him, eating as they walked.
They were mostly done with their food by the time they reached the amusement park. Quinn found somewhere to toss their leftovers away and he walked with her around the place, letting her see everything the place had to offer.
Surprisingly enough, she didn't have any left over. She was that hungry. But now that they were at the park, she looked around at all that it had to offer. The noises and the lights, the smells and the amount of people. It was a bit overwhelming for her. She reached for his hand, holding on for dear life to ensure she wasn't lost from him. She couldn't say anything, for there was too much.
Quinn gave her a few minutes to take it all in before he found a little niche out of the way where he could stand with her. "You're alright." He said gently. "You're actually probably safer here amongst all the people and the sights and the sounds than we were walking here." He mused, rubbing the back of her hand with his thumb in a subtle effort to soothe her a bit.
Ana could hear him, in spite of her heart beating loudly in her own ears. She breathed in slowly and let it out, nodding some. His rubbing on her hand did help soothe her and she looked over at him. "Hide in plain sight, huh?" She tried to smile at him.
Quinn nodded "That's the idea." He gave her an encouraging smile. "Take a few minutes, look around, see if there's something you want to get closer to and we'll work our way there."
Looking back towards the booths, Ana let the sounds wash over her as she tried to focus on something in particular. Anything. She finally spied one of the rides he had mentioned and her eyes widened. "Wait...people ride in..a train?...on that thing?" She looked up at him for reassurance.
He followed her gaze to where she was looking. "Yes. That's a roller coaster. Would you like to give it a ride?" He asked, knowing it was a small, tame ride compared to some of the others in the park.
She looked back at the roller coaster and studied it more. A part of her wanted to see more of it. Maybe she would go for a ride. But first, she needed to know how it worked. Looking through the crowd, she tried to think of a way to get there without interrupting the flow and started walking, still holding onto his hand as they went. "How does it work?" She asked him as they went to the contraption.
"Well as I understand it the car, or train, rides along the rails and it goes up and down and around and brings you back to the point you started at. It's pretty simple really. Some of them have straps to keep you firmly in your seat, but this one probably has a bar that will sit across your lap." He got her closer to it and gave her another moment to watch it run. "Want to try?"
She stood by the rail that kept people back from the machine and tilted her head, watching as she could see the engine that powered the chains lifting the train of cars up the first hill. As she watched, Ana could see that the frames for the rails were rickety, but holding the weight well enough. She watched the car make its circuit, chewing her lip as she debated. "It seems safe enough." She nodded and turned to him. "Do you like riding them?"
"They're alright. Not my favorite but I've ridden a few." He shrugged. "I generally play some of the games and enjoy the scenery, and watch the people. There are some shows we can go watch if that's something you think you might like."
She looked back at the roller coaster and sighed softly. Shaking her head, she replied softly, "There's just so much...I don't know where to begin." She chewed on her lip for a moment in thought and then said, "I...I want to go on this, though..."
Quinn nodded. "We'll go on this, and if you can handle it afterward I'll get you some ice cream on the way back. How's that sound?" He took her hand and kept her carefully close as he led her into the line for the roller coaster.
Ana brightened a little at the mention of the sweet treat. "Ice cream? I haven't had that as a treat in so long." She stayed near him as they got in the queue and walked forward when they were able to. Soon enough, they were able to pick a car and she followed him to whichever one he chose, not knowing where the best place to sit would be.
Quinn decided to take her up to the very front so she could see everything. He got her seated and settled and then tugged the restraints into place, keeping a hold of one of her hands. "You'll be alright." He promised and once the others were seated they were off. It was short and sweet and Quinn kept a hold of her hand the whole time.
She was a little nervous getting into the car, but once they got moving, and she heard the gears taking them up, she was getting into the whole thing. She even looked relaxed as they went through the small course. Her face only showing some surprise at the sensations, but for the most part, she was calmer than the others. When it was over, she looked to him. "That was...interesting."
Quinn gave her a grin as the cars coasted into the place where they got on and off. When the restraints released he directed her towards the exit and didn't allow the others getting off to crowd her. From there it was a slow working through the crowds and out of the amusement park and back towards where Veronica waited for them. "Did you like it?" He asked finally once they were away from all the noise and hustle and bustle.
Ana was glad to be away from all the noise. Though she could understand why it was that way, she is not used to being around so many people. Her noises were always machines that were making the cloth used to make most of the clothes here. Looking at Quinn, Ana shrugged a little and said softly, "It was a lot."
He gave a her a small, soothing smile. "It is. It's alright. We'll get ice cream from a place just down the way and then we'll go back and you can rest and relax for a while." He didn't blame her for being overwhelmed by all the sights and sounds and people. They'd just have to take it bit by bit until she felt more comfortable with various things.
She nodded and gave him a small smile in thanks. "That would be good." She felt as if she was needing to do more in thanks, but at the moment she couldn't think of anything.
Quinn got them ice cream in short order, letting her pick her own flavor, and then he headed them onwards. "Anything you'd feel comfortable telling me about yourself?" He asked after a long moment, wanting to get to know her.
Ana had kept her choice simple. Chocolate. She licked at the spoon as they walked along in thought and then shrugged. "Not really sure what you don't know yet. Or what you want to know." She wasn't trying to be evasive, just honest.
"Well... what's your favorite color? Have you ever had an animal as a pet? What's the best memory you have? Do you know how to read? Or write?" He shrugged. "There are a lot of little things that make up who you are. If it's something you'd ask me to learn more about me, then it's something you can answer yourself." He gave her a slight smile and took a big bite of his cheesecake ice cream "Any question you answer, I'll do the same, if it makes you feel better."
Ana swallowed and took another bite of ice cream before she answered slowly, "Blue. No. Cooking with my mother when we were able to spend time together. Yes and yes." She kept her answers simple as she spoke, figuring he would ask for details whenever he wanted to know more.
"Alright, fair enough. My favorite color is actually pink, but don't tell anyone else that. I had a dog and a cat when I was a kid, my favorite memories are of when my sister brought these little honey drops home for me and my brother when she had money to spare. I know how to read, write and speak two languages quite fluently." He gave her a tiny smile. "Have any questions for me?"
She frowned a little in thought, not used to being able to ask questions of others. Usually, she would just be told to do something and had to get it done. Questions would be asked of her, but it'd be about what she was working on. She shook her head, eating the chocolate ice cream quietly as they walked along towards Veronica's.
"I'm sure you'll think of some eventually. When you do please know I won't ever be angry at you for asking a question, no matter what it is." With that said he let her eat in silence, enjoying his own ice cream until he was done and could toss it away in one of the public trash cans. By that time they were back where they started and had soaked up several hours with walking, talking, shop surfing, food eating, and that single ride at the amusement park. Quinn pushed the door open, held it for Analiese and followed her inside.
Ana tossed her trash as well, finishing up when he had. She replied softly to him, "I know. You would have shown signs of being angry before." She gave him a small smile as they walked through the door, looking around for the proprietor. Though she had a rather easy day, for her, she was still rather tired from the outing and all the walking and talking.
"Honey we're hhhooommmeee!" Quinn called out in a sing-songy voice in order to summon Veronica to them. He was also sure it would earn them amused smiles from anyone in the establishment at the time.
